It's been a big week for J.J. McCarthy.

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback missed practice on Thursday to be with his fiancee for the birth of their first child, days after a thrilling comeback win in his first NFL start.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said the 22-year-old McCarthy was at the facility in the morning before departing for the hospital with his fiancee, Katya Kuropas. She made the announcement in May on Instagram that the couple was expecting a boy. They've been together since high school at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago.

Star receiver Justin Jefferson delivered a message to McCarthy at the end of his news conference on Thursday.

"If you seeing this now, congratulations, my boy," Jefferson said. "I'm excited for him with this

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